Image from xkcd.com

“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.

“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’

“Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’

“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’

Matthew 25:31-40

I’m almost finished reading Rob Bell‘s Love Wins. I don’t think there is anything particularly shocking or troubling. There isn’t anything new either. Those who have studied a bit of the church fathers, esp. Origen and Irenaeus, will know what he is talking about.

Actually I think the video above perfectly illustrates what he is arguing for. He’s not arguing for the traditional exclusivity. He’s not arguing for radical inclusiveness either (which means he’s not arguing that there are other paths of access to God.) Rather, he’s arguing for “an exclusivity on the other side of inclusivity”, which insists that “Jesus is the way, but holds tightly to the assumption that the all-embracing, saving love of this particular Jesus the Christ will of course include all sorts of unexpected people from across the cultural spectrum.” (155)

He furthers, “As soon as the door is opened to Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, and Baptists from Cleveland, many Christians become very uneasy, saying that then Jesus doesn’t matter anymore, the cross is irrelevant, it doesn’t matter what you believe, and so forth.” (155)

And he responds to this kind of response by saying: “Not true. Absolutely, unequivocally, unalterably not true. What Jesus does is declare that he, and he alone, is saving everybody. And then he leaves the door way, way open. Creating all sorts of possibilities. He is as narrow as himself and as wide as the universe. He is as exclusive as himself and as inclusive as containing every single particle of creation.” (155)

So what is the eternal destination of this compassionate Brahmin guy? I can’t say for sure, because 1) he is still living and he may have many more years ahead to get to know this ultimate source of love (i.e. Jesus), and 2) I’m no judge. I am only told to spread the good news of Jesus whenever and wherever I can.

What I can be sure about is that he is definitely serving Jesus as he serves the hungry, the sick, and the needy. I can only say let the King and the Judge decide who’s righteous or not when he comes in His glory. Meanwhile, we should get busy doing what we have been commanded and stop speculating about other people’s destination, for the Lord has His own plans for every person (John 21:21-22).

Related posts:

1. Rob Bell Comes Clean
2. John Newton seems to agree with Rob Bell
3. Spending a Year Living Like Jesus

Rob Kapilow brings music into people’s lives: opening new ears to musical experiences and helping people to listen actively rather than just hear. And at Gel 2010 he explored the idea of “things that make you go hmmmm.”

This talk itself is something that makes me go hmmm…. Here are some of the gems:

For preachers: “Try to consider taking responsibility of how people listen to you.”

For hearers: “To have great poets, there must be great audiences.”

For everyone: “We must be willing to get rid of the life we planned, in order to have the life that’s waiting for us.”

「徹徹底底的跌低，然後─徹徹底底的的爬起來。迫令自己走到非常無力這一步，其實只能責怪自己。『往往對成敗 得失的過分重視』，『對所謂完美的執著』，『永遠對自己的嚴苛和千挑萬剔』，『過分看重別人對自己的看法』，『過分努力成為別人眼中卓越的自己』，都一步 步危險地把我推擠到『徹底失去自己』。更哀傷的是，我已嚴重失去快樂的本質。」

「……我擁有其他人沒有的東西，心靈卻很空虛，生命中有一處黑色，很空蕩，當很多負面思想湧現，慾望卻大到幾多都覺得未夠，我對生命不切實際的追求，長期希望的優秀卓越，令到自己的壓力很大、很辛苦，這是極之錯的價值觀，認為只有錢可以給予安全感，愈無自信就要靠這些東西去包裝，不停希望得到萬千寵愛。上帝將那處黑暗填補，從那時才看到自己的渺小，令我學懂了謙卑，懂得看世界看別人，人與人之間相處變得容易，拉近了距離（那種無力及恐懼，是來自寂寞嗎？）不是寂寞，而是絕望，寂寞很容易解決，但絕望很黑暗，我每天起來都像有道牆在眼前，無論怎樣都打不破，這樣維持了一段長時間，拍完《長恨歌》後，我絕望到交自己給上帝，miracle就發生。這個經歷很好，因為上帝衡量過每個人，知道我承受得到，（你是鄭秀文，什麼都擁有過，賺的錢足以令你沒有生活負擔，才可以這樣豁達。）每個人的case不同，我也認識很多壯健而無權無勢的人，他們活得自在，不會為不夠別人優秀而自卑，聽到很感動，因為他們不是活在別人的目光中，而是活在神的眼裏，好美麗。」

Sammi 感謝這場憂鬱，覺得絕對「值得」，對於苦難有新的體會，經歷令她有個美好的重生。

賠償片商200萬 鄭秀文自揭抑鬱症經歷 － 明周第2146期封面故事

患上抑鬱症期間，鄭秀文關閉自己在家中三年多，與世隔絕，不願說話，也不願與人接觸。但當她獨自面對那「無人能觸及的荒漠」時，卻畫上近百幅 (本人認為) 很有深度的畫。

也許，creativity 跟 suffering 真的是有關連的。

若然人生跌進了憂鬱的低谷，也是值得的，因為那正是上帝拆毀重建的開始。

誰能漫天風雪學抬頭　面向最崎嶇山丘
沿路鼻酸可否伸手牽你手
如若學謙卑再學回頭　是你說我可得救
可我相信未必可白頭

前路直通天國別回頭　越過最崎嶇山丘
這天願將身心交託於你手
誰曾在伊甸裡面迷途　在這天十指緊扣
心意歸向你　服從愛你　就有歸家的福氣
等到審判那珍貴日期

望著別人在嘆氣　聽到天使頌讚美

“God does not change, but changes…”

(inspired by James 1:17, Hebrew 1:12, 1 Cor 15:51-52)

Related posts:

1. Destruction and Change

“Pain is inevitable. Suffering is optional.” (vii)

“I don’t even think there’s that much correlation between my running every day and whether or not I have a strong will. I think I’ve been able to run for more than twenty years for a simple reason: It suits me.” (44)

“Once, I interviewed the Olympic runner Toshihiko Seko…… I asked him, ‘Does a runner at your level ever feel like you’d rather not run today, like you don’t want to run and would rather just sleep in?’ He stared at me and then, in a voice that made it abundantly clear how stupid he thought the question was, replied, ‘Of course. All the time!’…… despite being worlds apart in terms of strength, the amount we can exercise, and motivation, when we lace up our running shoes early in the morning we feel exactly the same way.” (45-46)

“No matter what, though, I keep up my running. Running every day is a kind of lifeline for me, so I’m not going to lay off or quit just because I’m busy. If I used being busy as an excuse not to run, I’d never run again. I have only a few reasons to keep on running, and a truckload of them to quit. All I can do is keep those few reasons nicely polished.” (73)

I think ministry is also like running a marathon in some sense. I know I cannot run far if I continue this lethargic, impulsive, and undisciplined lifestyle. It is time for me to shed some pounds, find my focus, and single-mindedly run towards the goal of my life. Murakami started running when he was thirty-three. I am thirty-three this year. I guess it’s never too late to start.

We should watch this every Sunday before our church services begin so that we can have our perspectives properly adjusted in order to appreciate the kind of God we are worshiping. Not to mention God is not just as big as the universe, but utterly beyond all of space-time.

“What are mere mortals that you are mindful of them, human beings that you care for them?” (Ps. 8:4)

其實，現在她已經很懂事，可以幫我們丟垃圾、收拾玩具、拿東拿西等。

媽媽突然想起姊姊兒時的模樣，慨嘆說：「你姊姊小時候也十分喜歡幫我洗碗碟，只是慢慢長大後便不幫了。」

聽到這句話，我便嘗試想像姊姊小時候很開心地在媽媽傍幫手洗碗的樣子，十分可愛似的。

但頓然之間，我領會了一個十分重要的屬靈道理。

為什麼姊姊小時候會那麼嚮往幫媽媽洗碗呢？她真的喜歡洗碗嗎？莫非她喜歡玩水？玩泡泡？

抑或她真正喜歡的是能夠與媽媽常在一起，感受媽媽容讓她參與大人在廚房裡工作的滋味？

若是，這豈不正是基督徒應有的事奉觀嗎？

我們不是為著事奉而事奉，也不是為了成事而事奉。

我們事奉的最大動力來源，應該是：

1. 渴望時常與神同在和跟祂有親密的聯合 (intimate communion with God)
2. 渴望能夠參與在神事工上的那種榮幸 (the honor and privilege of participating in the divine economy)

更重要的是，那事工根本上是屬於神的。我們只是有幸參與在其中，猶如媽媽容讓小女兒幫手一起洗碗一樣。碗洗得「好」與「不好」，媽媽自有分寸。小女兒不用太膽心，也膽心不來。她只管盡力協助媽媽，媽媽叫她幫什麼她便幫什麼。

抱著這樣的心態事奉，我們又豈能不充滿著喜樂呢？

所以下次事奉遇到困難而失卻了喜樂時，請記得：

“It’s not about the dishes, it’s about being with mom.”

The Way I See It #76

The irony of commitment is that it’s deeply liberating – in work, in play, in love. The act frees you from the tyranny of your internal critic, from the fear that likes to dress itself up and parade around as rational hesitation. To commit is to remove your head as the barrier to your life.

– Anne Morriss Starbucks customer

Yes, commitment is not about doing things only when it feels right. It is a willful choice to do it despite the circumstances. When you have committed yourself to something, you don’t rationalize your excuses. You don’t justify your pretexts. You just do it, because you have chosen to do so and you stick with your choice until the end. The result is liberating because you are no longer under the control of the fluctuating desires of the flesh, but on and over it. And this ultimately leads to life – a life of freedom.

Some might argue: only if it is so easy to commit. Yes, it is not easy, especially with our own will. But with the help of the Holy Spirit, who is able to overcome the flesh and set us free, it becomes possible and not difficult at all.

Commitment leads not to bondage, but to freedom and life.

“But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 6:22-23, TNIV)

Related posts:

1. Freedom, Security, and the False Trinity